When Things Go Wrong
by Dry Tortugas
Summary: SSX is forced into an arranged marriage with Liu Bei, she's not too pleased about it, she already loves some other guy, and more stuff happens when they try and escape and get caught. T for violence and language. GNxSSX.


Disclaimer: No, I don't own Dynasty Warriors. If I did, would I be wasting my time writing fan fictions? No, I'd be out spending my huge amounts of money and getting totally wasted. I'd also have Gan Ning, Sun Ce, and Ma Chao parading around the games in a man-thong. Plus... oh, never mind.

Summary time- SSX is forced into an arranged marriage with Liu Bei, she's not too pleased about it, she already loves some other guy, (who is Gan Ning, duh) and more stuff happens. Umm, there could be a suprise ending, I don't want to blow anything. I guess it's PG-13 for language, violence, ect. Nothing explicit or anything. I'm trying for lots of blood and gore.

PS: I like killing people off. :-) GNxSSX (some things never change)

oO+OO+Oo+

With a sad sigh, the defeated Wu princess allowed her handmaidens to slip the formal matrimony gown over her head. She had given up a long time ago. She hated the thought of defeat, to give everything up and accept her fate, but she was fighting the one battle she could never win. After all, she was a princess, and princesses were mainly used as bartering pieces, as she found out the hard way.

Growing up with her brothers in the castle, Sun Shang Xiang was never informed that one day, some creep she didn't know, love, or even tolerate could simply come along and demand her hand in marriage, and that his request would be granted. As though an arranged marriage wasn't bad enough, the fact that the Emperor, her own brother, had traded his younger sister for land, was the infuriating part. She felt as though her only living brother had betrayed her, and that hurt the young princess more than an arranged marriage ever could.

The Two Qiaos, Shang Xiang's closest female friends and also victims of arranged marriages, had assured her that everything would turn out alright in the long run. But, as Shang Xiang pointed out, the men the Qiaos were asked to marry were young, handsome, and not to mention, the Qiaos were already in love with them. Not much of a task, considering the men were Shang Xiang's eldest, and favorite, brother Sun Ce, and his handsome and brilliant best friend, Zhou Yu.

Considering the man she was being forced to marry was in his late 50's, not to mention had been married and widowed several times, Shang Xiang felt vastly cheated. Plus, the fact that he was the ruler of Shu-- the ENEMY kingdom-- meant that she'd have to leave her friends, her family (although her traitor brother was the only family she had left in Wu) and everything she'd known and loved her whole life behind, forever.

And not to mention children. The first time she'd met this guy, he was already talking about children. Disgusting. The thought of bearing children with some old guy her deceased father's age was enough to make the bile rise in her throat. If a large boulder was to fall from the heavens, and crush her into pulp where she stood, that didn't sound half bad.

With a jump, Shang Xiang was jarred from her thoughts by something cold and wet being pressed to her face. Of course, ceremonial makeup. Shang Xiang despised makeup and only wore it when she was tied down and forced to. However, today she just didn't care. She'd stopped resisting a long time ago.

Her thoughts drifted away to a young man she TRULY wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He was young, handsome, strong, smart, and had a great sense of humor... Shang Xiang let out a wistful sigh and hoped she didn't look as sad as she felt. She wanted her expressions, and her body language, to be emotionless. Unless she died tomorrow, (which she was really hoping for) the rest of her life was going to be quite unenjoyable. Might as well get a head start today, which she considered to be the SECOND worst day of her life.

The first worst day of her life was a day that was forever imprinted in her mind. Waking up, not bothering to change from her nightgown, racing down the hallway to her eldest brother's room, and seeing him lying on the bed, still and lifeless, was the most horrible thing she'd ever seen in her 16 years of life. Her brother, her hero, her best friend, was gone, and she couldn't do anything about it. For as long as she'd been alive, Ce had been helping her, protecting her, teaching her how to fight, and the one time he had been vulnerable, Shang Xiang had been unable to protect him.

Shang Xiang had seen bloodshed. She'd seen carnage. She'd seen men being blown limb from limb from strategically placed landmines, watched their bodies crumble and incinerate in the flames of a fire attack, watched them struggle and fight the strength of the raging waters as they drowned in a water attack. She'd caused numerous casualties in battle, been grotesquely injured numerous times.

She had slaughtered many enemy troops as a general in war, sliced limbs from their torsos, seen blood cascade from wounds she'd caused, and experienced immense pain and bloodshed, yet the sight of her beloved eldest brother's handsome, lifeless face, bearing the peaceful face of death, had scarred her for life. Even now, four years after his death, she still woke up with a scream, tears streaming down her cheeks, her body shaking uncontrollably.

And now, to add to her sadness, the man who'd been there for her all those times she needed him, the man who loved her more than anyone else in the world, the man who she loved more than she'd ever loved anyone, except for her brother, the man she thought she was going to marry and spend eternity with, was being torn away from her today.

They both agreed that it would be best if he didn't attend the ceremony. Shang Xiang couldn't bear to see him in pain, and didn't want to cause any more of it. If Sun Quan, the Emperor, had any idea of how much anger and pain this stupid marriage was going to cause, chances were he would change his mind almost completely.

Once again, Shang Xiang's thoughts were jarred by the soft voice of one of her handmaidens. "Lady Sun? The ceremony is set to begin."

Shang Xiang looked up and gazed at her reflection in the glass before her. She saw a beautiful young woman reflected in the glass, but she didn't see herself. The bastard she was going to marry today didn't love her for who she was; the strong, carefree tomboy, living life to the fullest. In all honesty, he feared her; feared her strength, feared her fighting prowess, and demanded that her love of weaponry did not carry into the Shu Kingdom.

She sighed. She was still a single woman and already she was miserable. Half of her wished that her love WAS attending the ceremony; not because she wanted to see him in pain, but because she wanted to see him one final time before she left Wu forevermore.

"Lady Sun?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Shang Xiang murmured quietly, following in step behind the young handmaiden.

"You look lovely, my lady. Lord Liu Bei will be delighted," the handmaided said, apparently trying to cheer the Princess up.

Needless to say, she failed miserably. The defeated Wu princess miserably stepped outside her chambers, to leave behind all she loved and cared about, to become the Empress of Shu. Hooray.

oO+OO+Oo+

That night, after the ceremony ended, Shang Xiang was sitting on her bed, dreading what was to come. Liu Bei had agreed to spend the remaining night in Wu, with his new wife, and set home to Shu tomorrow. Of course, like all newlyweds anticipated, he was also looking forward to getting acquainted with his wife, and that obviously did not mean a nighttime stroll around the river.

Shang Xiang had changed back into her regular costume, a peachy-colored top with red shorts. (DW4 #1) She might be the reluctant Empress of Shu now, but she was the daughter of the Tiger of Jiang Dong, a Princess of Wu, and god damnit, she was going to dress however the hell she felt like right about now. As far as Shang Xiang was concerned, she had nothing to live for, nothing to lose, and she was feeling rather rebellious right about now.

She was interrupted from her thoughts for the hundredth time that day by a tapping on her window. Don't tell me, she thought dryly, Liu Bei thought it'd be more romantic to come in through the window? She approached the window and gasped in shock. Behind the window, and clinging onto the castle walls as though holding on for dear life, was none other than the love of her life, Gan Ning.

"Ning?" she stammered, quite suprised. "Wh-what are you doing?" Gan Ning frantically mouthed, "Come outside!" to his bewildered lover, who immediately understood and slipped on her shoes.

In Wu, adultery meant death, but hey, Liu Bei wouldn't be joining her in Hell for a while, so Shang Xiang didn't care. Luckily, since she'd lived in the castle for her entire life, she knew all the shortcuts to escape the castle and get outside. She'd been doing this for years, sneaking outside to rendezvous with her secret lover, (although the entire population of Wu knew about the two of them) so tonight was no different. Except, of course, that if they were caught, it almost definitively meant death, but she decided not to think about that.

She ran outside, through the almost pitch-black darkness, resisting the urge to scream out her lover's name. That would be signing a death warrant.

"Pssst! Shang Xiang? Is that you?" a voice hissed.

Shang Xiang jumped and turned around, her short hair rustling and penetrating the night air. She almost let out a scream when two strong arms wrapped around her, and a hand, attached to the arm around her, clamped over her mouth. Frightened, Shang Xiang tried to struggle, and was shushed by the voice of her captor. "SSSHHH! Don't scream, Shang Xiang, it's me!" whispered the voice of Gan Ning, as he released her. Shang Xiang embraced him happily, then realized something.

"Ning! Don't you know the trouble you can get into?" she scolded. "Quan could have you executed for this!"

Gan Ning laughed, putting his arm around her slender shoulders. "Hey, you know me better than that! I love you, Shang Xiang, and no old geezer is going to change anything between us. Besides, this is fun! Running around all day, looking for you, making sure I don't get caught... my knees are knocking, I'm covered in sweat, my heart's pounding, adrenaline's pumping through me, I can't stand still, but I'm doing it all for you, Shang Xiang. I'd do anything for you."

Shang Xiang buried her face in his shoulder, inhaling deeply and savoring the scent of his body and clothes, both of which reeked of perspiration. "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too. Lucky for us, it's dark as hell out here, so I doubt we'll be seen. I just couldn't stand to let you leave to Shu without getting to see your face again," Gan Ning said, sitting down on the ground. Shang Xiang sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"The stars are really pretty tonight," Shang Xiang said, gazing up at them. If only tonight could be hers and Gan Ning's wedding night. Then her life couldn't possibly get any worse.

Gan Ning coughed. "Stars? Tch, they're just a bunch of shiny things in the sky. They're nowhere near as pretty as you are," he said, wrapping his arms around Shang Xiang again.

Shang Xiang giggled. "Ning, that was awful. You need some new lines, before you embarrass yourself like that in public."

"Well, I guess I won't need any lines now," Gan Ning said, restoring her sadness. "I wish I wasn't such a weenie," he continued, running his fingers through her short brown hair.

"Huh?" Shang Xiang asked. "Ning, you're the toughest guy I know!"

"No, I'm not. If I wasn't such a friggen pansy, I'd have asked for your hand a while ago, and we could be together right now. This is my own damned fault you're in this mess, and if I wasn't such an idiot, I could help you get out of it."

Shang Xiang smiled sadly at him, enjoying the feeling of his fingers caressing her hair. "Ning, this isn't your fault... it's my damn brother's fault. If he wasn't such an idiot, none of this would be happening." She looked back up at him and turned his face back towards hers. "But I don't want to berate ourselves. This might be the last time we ever see each other for a long, long time... I want to enjoy every second of it."

"Me too," Gan Ning said happily. Shang Xiang drew him closer and Gan Ning closed his eyes, pressing his lips on Shang Xiang's. He moved his arms to embrace her and held her tightly. Shang Xiang smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes still closed. Gan Ning gazed at her, thinking of her brother's final words to him. Although he hadn't been in Wu for very long when the young Lord passed away, he and Shang Xiang had been best friends, and pretty much everyone- except for Shang Xiang- could tell Ning's feelings for her were more than friendship.

Sun Ce's last few words to him were, while he lay on his deathbed, before he drifted into that slumber in which he'd never awaken from, were, "Take care of my little sister for me." Gan Ning remembered how miserable Shang Xiang had been, and sometimes he had heard her crying in her room in the middle of the night. He just hugged her, and Shang Xiang had collapsed in his arms, crying so hard he doubted she could even see straight.

Gan Ning looked back down towards the Wu Princess in his arms and was suprised to see a few small tears sliding down her cheeks. "Shang Xiang?" he said, confused. He knew why she was upset, he just wanted to cheer her up somehow.

Shang Xiang looked back up at him. "I don't want to leave!" she sobbed. "After tonight, I leave Wu forever! I'll never be able to come back home!" Gan Ning tightened his grip on her waist and she buried her face in his shoulder once more. "Shang Xiang, if I have to, I'll sneak back to Shu every day for the rest of my life. I'll never abandon you in that madhouse."

Apparently this wasn't what Shang Xiang wanted to hear, because she sat back and scowled at him angrily. "Don't tell me that! If Liu Bei finds you, poking around his kingdom trying to find me, he'll be merciless! He'll kill you! Or worse! And I don't want THAT on my conscience!"

"What could be worse than death?" Gan Ning asked, completely missing the point.

"I don't know!" Shang Xiang wailed. "All I know is that, I'm trapped in this marriage, and I love you, and I detest Liu Bei with every fiber of my being, and I--"

Gan Ning cut her off and wrapped his arms around her in the darkness. He leaned closer to her and gave her a kiss. Shang Xiang stopped her tirade, raised her arms and embraced him as well. She moved her hands to his short brown hair, spiked up as usual, and ran her hands through it. It was amazing; just hugging him was enough to make her feel as though all the pain she had felt had been lifted.

"Isn't there some way we could just run away from it all and be together?" Shang Xiang murmured, looking up at the night sky. Gan Ning thought for a second, then said, "Maybe there is. Shang Xiang, it's a crazy scheme but I'm willing to go through with it if you are. There's nothing holding me back here in Wu except for you."

Ecstatic, Shang Xiang flung her arms around Gan Ning's broader shoulders and hugged him. "Oh, this is too good to be true! I'll never have to see Liu Bei again!"

"Don't get your hopes up too high," Gan Ning warned. "Even if we do escape together, we'll have to settle somewhere, and chances are your brother and Liu Bei'll be looking for you. Unless you don't mind living like that, of course..."

"I don't! I don't!" Shang Xiang cried desperately. "I'll do anything!"

A big smile spread across Gan Ning's face. "Well in that case, we've got nothing to lose! I say we go for it! We'll need to get some supplies, of course... and that would mean we'd need to head back to the palace..."

Shang Xiang jumped up and pulled her lover up by his hand. "Then let's go!" she said, happier than she thought possible. "The sooner we can get out of this madness, the better!"

Hand in hand, the two headed back to the palace entrance. Although Shang Xiang had the smile of the century across her beautiful face, Gan Ning looked tense and was checking over his shoulder often, as if they were being followed. "Ning, relax," Shang Xiang said, looking back at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Gan Ning protested. "I'm just making sure we don't get caught!"

Shang Xiang stopped and took both of Ning's hands in her own. "Ning, please, relax. Nothing's going to happen, so stop worrying about it, alright? You're making me nervous."

Ning sighed and wrapped his arms around Shang Xiang. They just stood there, looking deep into the other's eyes. Ning sighed and kissed her forehead. "Shang Xiang... never mind. Forget I said anything."

Shang Xiang smiled. "Good. Just think, Ning! This time tomorrow, we'll be free of everything, and it'll be just the two of us. I can't wait! This is the beginning of the rest of our lives!"

Ning hugged her again. "You're right. Let's hurry and get our things."

The palace doors were only a few yards away, and Shang Xiang's heart was racing. All they had to do was get their things, and they'd be gone forever. She and Ning would live together for the rest of their lives.

"WHERE IS SHE?" a loud, booming voice echoed from the castle. Ning froze and grabbed Shang Xiang, flattening against the castle walls. The palace doors opened with a loud roar. Shang Xiang looked up at Ning, who had his hand clamped over her mouth to avoid her from making any noise. He was sweating blood, just like herself.

"SUN QUAN! WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GO?" screamed the voice of the Shu Ruler.

Sun Quan sounded as if he was at a loss. "I don't know! She must have escaped! It's your own damn fault for leaving her alone!"

"ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS MY FAULT?" Liu Bei's voice screamed.

"Yes, I am. And if you continue to harass me, I will have you executed on the spot! Don't push me, Liu Bei! You may be my brother-in-law, but I can still have your head chopped off!" Sun Quan snarled, stomping back into the palace.

"YOU! Have you seen my wife?" Liu Bei barked at someone Shang Xiang and Gan Ning couldn't see.

"Who's your wife?" the strangely familiar voice asked. "Aren't you the Shu ruler?"

"Yes, I am. For your information, I wed the Princess of Wu earlier today, and she escaped on me! Where the hell is she?"

"Oh, I saw her a while ago. She was sneaking outside," the voice said. The owner of the voice must have been highly drunk, since his voice was slurred beyond recognition. "Probably going to meet her boyfriend, Gan Ning..."

"WHAT?" screamed Liu Bei. "We haven't been married for a full day yet and already that whorish woman has disgraced me! Wherever that bitch went, she's done for!"

Shang Xiang fought down a laugh. To think that this man was so stupid, to think she'd stay loyal to some idiot from another country, twice her age, when she lived in a country full of young, handsome men? What a joke.

"You! All of you! Seperate and find the Princess!" yelled one of the Shu Captains Liu Bei had brought with him. Shang Xiang and Gan Ning silently watched as the armor-clad troops began their patrol around the castle.

"N-Ning? What should we do?" Shang Xiang whispered as quietly as she could.

"Don't ask me! I'm the stupid one!" Gan Ning admitted. "Shang Xiang, whatever happens... I love you, OK?"

"I love you too," Shang Xiang said, sounding frightened. "Ning... I don't want them finding us. I'd rather we turned ourselves in than let them capture us both."

Ning thought for a second, and smiled. "Alright. You go one way, I'll go the other. If one of us doesn't make it, then, um... well, let's both try and make it back into the palace alive."

Shang Xiang nodded and kissed her lover goodbye. "OK. Let's go."

The two split up and ran in their seperate directions, both keeping close eyes on the Shu soldiers. Chances were, the soldiers' orders were to capture Shang Xiang and kill Gan Ning, so they both had to be on their guard.

Shang Xiang crept along the side of the palace, and froze when she saw Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, all of which were guarding the palace entrances. She burned with fury when she saw Ling Tong, a rather nasty and bitter young man who had an evil smirk across his face. Obviously, his severe hatred and jealousy of Gan Ning had led him to his betrayal.

Probably the main reason Ling Tong had become such a foul human being was because he hated Gan Ning so much. He'd loved Shang Xiang for as long as anyone could remember. When Gan Ning came along, killed Ling Tong's father AND started a relationship with Shang Xiang, Ling Tong had become rather unpleasant to be around.

If Sun Quan would ever find out Ling Tong had betrayed Wu, for personal reasons like revenge, he'd have him executed, no questions asked. This one-sided rivalry had been going on for years and Sun Quan had already ordered it to stop.

Shang Xiang bit her lip in anxiety. There was no way she'd be able to sneak past her husband and his two most trusted generals, not to mention that idiot traitor Ling Tong. Although Ling Tong would never willingly betray her, his insane jealousy and hatred had corrupted him and turned him into a person he never used to be.

With horror in her eyes, she watched as Gan Ning approached the castle gates as well, but unlike her, he wasn't looking ahead of him. He was keeping his view over his shoulder, probably keeping his eyes peeled for the Shu soldiers. Unfortunately he had bigger problems, the instant Zhang Fei laid eyes on him. "HEY! WU GENERAL SPOTTED!" the Shu general yelled to his accomplices.

"Oh no! Ning!" Shang Xiang cried, before she knew it. Liu Bei turned around and spotted her. "AHA! There she is! Capture her! Don't let her escape again!" the Shu Emperor yelled, pointing at his wife. "Move, you fools!" Guan Yu yelled, drawing his large spear from his belt. Gan Ning, having been discovered, drew his weapon and fought off the large Shu general.

"Let GO of me!" Shang Xiang screamed at the two guards who grabbed her arms to prevent her from escaping. Liu Bei sneered at her. "That's better. Women should be seen, not heard." He turned back towards Zhang Fei. "Brother, knock it off! Kill him already!"

"It's not as easy as it looks!" Zhang Fei screamed angrily, dodging Ning's sword. "This kid's good!"

Gan Ning saw an opening and attacked, his sword ripping through Zhang Fei's flesh. "BASTARD!" the older general gasped, holding his wounded chest. "YOU... LITTLE..." He swung his pike as he fell to the ground, tripping the ex-pirate and knocking him over.

"BROTHER!" Guan Yu yelled, charging Gan Ning.

"NO!" Shang Xiang screamed. "Don't even THINK about hurting him!" The other two guards holding her tightened their grip. "OW! Watch where you're grabbing, you jerk!" Shang Xiang said angrily, struggling to break free of their grasp.

"ARRRGH!" Gan Ning screamed. Guan Yu had charged him and the tip of his spear had stabbed the younger general in the back.

"Ning! NO!" Shang Xiang screamed. Liu Bei drew his sword and walked over to Gan Ning, a sinister smile crossing his face.

"Aw, SHIT! DAMN!" Ning cursed, struggling to get up. Apparently the blow to his back had temporarily paralyzed the young warrior.

"Ling Tong, you ASS! DO SOMETHING!" Shang Xiang screamed, rearing on her fellow officer.

"Why should I?" Tong said angrily. "You both deserve this! Shang Xiang, I loved you more than anyone in the world! I never did anything to hurt you and you always hated me! Then you fall for that BASTARD who killed my father! You both deserve to die!"

"You're insane!" Shang Xiang cried. "You're telling me you're so upset by that YOU'RE BETRAYING YOUR COUNTRY? How would your father feel?"

"D-don't try and change my mind!" Ling Tong screamed, drawing his weapon from his belt. "I swear to God I'll kill you myself! Try me!"

Liu Bei, however, had his blade up against Ning's throat. "Listen up, you little piece of vermin. Give me one good reason why I should let you live."

"BASTARD! COWARD! WIMP!" Ning screamed, supplying Liu Bei with three good reasons to kill him.

"WHAT did you say to me?" Liu Bei screamed.

"You heard me, bastard! I'm helpless! I can't do a damn thing to save myself! You expect me to be at your mercy just 'cause I can't fight back? NOT IN A HUNDRED YEARS!" Gan Ning yelled. "SHIT EATER!"

"You little vermin. You had your chance to live, but you blew it! Prepare to die, scum!" Liu Bei screamed, bringing his sword down on Gan Ning's exposed neck.

"NING! NO!" Shang Xiang shrieked.

"HAH! You missed! Stupid!" Gan Ning mocked.

"Ning, please, SHUT UP! You're killing yourself!" Shang Xiang begged.

"NO! If I go down, I'm gonna piss him off as much as I can before I do!" Ning yelled. He managed to hobble up to his feet again, able to move. He seized his sword and managed to laugh, the same cocky laugh Shang Xiang loved so much.

"YAH-HAH! Gan Ning is back in busin--" Shang Xiang stared in horror as Ning froze in midsentence. She watched, horrified, as the large spear that impaled him through the back tore through the flesh of his chest and went through the other side.

"Excellent job, Guan Yu!" Liu Bei said, as though discussing a summer picnic. Pleased, Guan Yu yanked (for lack of a better word) his spear out of the ex-pirate's severed abdomen, and blood poured out from his wound. Gan Ning's upright body slowly wobbled and his sword dropped out of his hand. His face, still frozen, showed no pain or any other feeling. He was dead before he knew what hit him. With a heavy thump, his body teetered backwards and hit the ground, blood oozing from his open wound.

Shang Xiang was unable to speak. Looking at the man she loved, dead-- not just dead, but obliterated-- was too much to bear. First her brother, now this? Gan Ning was twenty-three. He had his whole young life ahead of him. He was strong, handsome, talented... and he was dead. All because of HER. She felt a tear slide down her face, followed by another. And another. A torrential downpour of tears slid down the beautiful Princess's face, unable to contain her anguish.

With the strength one gets only when they've lost something precious, Shang Xiang ripped herself free of the guards restraining her. They advanced to try and seize her again, and this time she was ready. Taking careful aim, she bashed the lower palm of her hand into the guard's face, driving his nose into his brain, killing him instantly. The other guard, terrified, screamed and ran away.

"YOU... SICK... BASTARD!" the enraged Wu Princess screamed, rearing on Ling Tong, who hadn't spoken since Ning fell. "YOU WANTED HIM DEAD! YOU KILLED GAN NING! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL MURDER YOU MYSELF! YOU BASTARD! YOU SICK, EVIL BASTARD!" Tears slid from her face onto the ground and she brushed them away angrily. She raised her hand and slapped her fellow general across the face.

Ling Tong staggered, and his lips twitched, but no words came out. He seemed too shocked to see what was going on. Obviously he realized the severity of what was going on, and he realized he was responsible.

Liu Bei stared at his wife, watched as she took her anger out on the man who'd betrayed her. He looked down at Gan Ning's dead body, as blood and other gore was visible across his muscular chest, covering the ground and his clothes with his blood.

Shang Xiang turned and stagged towards Gan Ning, sinking down to his body. Liu Bei watched in slight revulsion as she slowly pulled him up to her level, embracing his dead body and, either accidentally or intentionally, covering herself with his blood. She took his sword from his limp, lifeless hand, kissed his forehead and his bloody lips, and stood to her feet.

"You're... you're going to pay for this, you disgusting... you disgusting BASTARD!" Shang Xiang screamed. Wielding Gan Ning's infamous sword, brandishing it at her monstrous husband, she swung at Liu Bei's neck, and he managed to block the blow, but barely.

"Shang Xiang, calm yourself!" Liu Bei ordered, swinging at her. "I am your legal husband now! I own you! I control you!"

"You might have married me, but I am NOT... YOUR... WIFE!" Shang Xiang screamed, bringing the sword down once more. "YOU KILLED THE MAN I LOVED! AND I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Guan Yu killed him! Not me!" Liu Bei said, terrified of this enraged woman. He turned to Guan Yu, horrified to see that he had just shoved his spear through his own chest.

"GUAN YU?" Liu Bei gasped.

"Brother... Zhang Fei... dead... Oath... in the Garden... broken..." Guan Yu gasped, blood flowing freely through his wound. "Brother... Liu Bei... forgive me..." The God of War collapsed on his side, next to his dead Oath Brother.

"Looks like I'll have to kill YOU, then!" Shang Xiang screamed, bringing her dead lover's sword down upon Liu Bei's exposed neck, slicing it almost completely off his body.

Liu Bei's head, almost completely seperated from his body, swung freely and spurted blood everywhere. Shang Xiang watched, without a twinge of guilt, as her husband collapsed to the ground, without another word, lying in a pool of his own blood.

She turned and faced Ling Tong, who still hadn't spoken. She looked around the castle grounds, the impact of what just happened hitting her full force. Zhang Fei, his lower abdomen torn open, blood oozing from his chest. Gan Ning, his entire chest impaled, his torso bathed in blood and thick, watery chunks of inner organs.

Guan Yu, lying on the ground, his pike through his own chest. The guard, whose nose was somewhere in his brain. And Liu Bei, nearly decapitated.

Shang Xiang slowly stagged to her feet again, still holding Gan Ning's sword. Gan Ning was dead. She had just slaughtered her husband. Surely her brother would have her executed for this. Her eyes met Ling Tong's, his face still contorted into one of shock and horror.

She held Gan Ning's sword out to him. "Kill me," she said, looking into her fellow general's eyes. "Please."

Slowly, Ling Tong shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to kill the girl he'd loved, anguished over, tortured himself over, for so long. She had never loved him, never would, yet he couldn't bring himself to kill her.

"L-Ling Tong... please..." she whispered. "I... I don't want to live... please... just do it... kill me... PLEASE!"

Once again, he shook his head. Shang Xiang took a deep breath, gripped the handle in her hands, and with a quick motion, stabbed herself in the heart. She fell backwards, and landed in Ling Tong's arms. He'd caught her, to prevent her from falling to the ground.

She wanted to struggle and break free of his grasp. She didn't want to die in his arms. She didn't love him. She felt the blood pouring from her chest, and despite her situation, smiled. Her body was numb. She felt no pain. Soon, she would be in Gan Ning's arms again. Her grip on Ning's sword slowly loosened as she died, and her eyes closed. She was dead too.

Ling Tong hadn't been able to take his gaze off her. She was dead. She'd never be able to punch him, or hurt him, or tell him to screw off. She'd never do anything again. Her beautiful eyes were closed, and her face was dark and bloodstained, the grim face of death. She was dead.

With a sob of despair, he hugged her to his chest, tears rolling down his cheeks. He rested his head on top of hers, his tears rolling into her blood-matted hair. He held her and cried, damning himself to hell. This was his own damn fault. He was a fool. If he hadn't been so jealous... why the hell did he betray her? Why?

She never loved me, he remembered. But that doesn't mean I betray her. It doesn't mean I let some bastard do this to her, even if she did it to herself.

Gan Ning would have been better than Liu Bei. But now they were both dead. Slowly Tong rose to his feet and made his way back into the castle. His garments were blood-stained, stained with the crimson blood of the woman who he loved more than anyone; yet never loved him back. He made it back to his room, grasped a dagger off a desk and slowly slit his wrists open and lay down on his bed, closing his eyes. Soon, it'd be over... he'd be dead, like all the others.

oO+OO+Oo+

When dawn finally arrived on the Wu Kingdom, Sun Quan rose and dressed in the ceremonial robes of the Wu Emperor. He left his chambers, and was stopped by a guard.

"My Lord, we've got some very disturbing news for you. Lord Ling Tong was found dead in his room this morning," the guard said, bowing.

"What?" Sun Quan gasped.

"It appears to be suicide, my Lord. His wrists were slit and it appears he bled to death. His bedspread is covered in blood," the guard continued.

"Impossible! Why?" the astonished Wu Emperor said.

"We don't know, sir," the guard admitted. "It appears he was crying while he died. Apparently something happened. There was no note or any explanation."

Sun Quan dismissed the guard, confused. Why would Ling Tong commit suicide? He was jarred from his thoughts by two more guards approaching him.

"My Lord, we've got some very bad news for you," the first guard began.

"Yes, I know, Ling Tong committed suicide," Sun Quan said, annoyed.

"What?" the second guard asked, confused.

"Yes, of course... that wasn't what you were going to tell me?" Sun Quan demanded.

"No, sir. Apparently last night there was a battle. Lord Gan Ning, and your sister, Lady Sun, were found dead outside on Wu grounds. The Shu generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also found dead in the same location," the first guard said.

"That's not the whole story. Liu Bei was found, partially decapitated," the second guard continued. "We're not sure why."

Sun Quan was at a complete loss for words. "So you're telling me that my sister, Gan Ning, and now Ling Tong are all dead?" he demanded.

"Yes, sir," the guards replied in unison.

"I want answers! Six generals do not all turn up dead for no reason at all!" Sun Quan yelled angrily.

"My Lord, we cannot summon the dead. We don't know what happened to them, but we would assume it would have something to do with the Princess's arranged marriage yesterday," said the guard.

"WHAT?" Sun Quan demanded. "Ridiculous!"

"My Lord, Lady Sun was seeing Gan Ning seperately. I would assume that Lord Gan Ning and Lady Sun were discovered by Liu Bei and his generals, and a fight broke out," said the guard. "We don't know how Lord Ling Tong fits into the picture, however."

"Of course. Ling Tong loved my sister," Sun Quan suddenly realized. "He must have seen her dead and killed himself. This is unbelievable... how could all of this have happened, due to one arranged marriage?"

"We don't know, sir," the second guard said quietly. "We just don't know."

oO+OO+Oo+

GEEZ! That was the longest short story I've ever written in my life! oO;;

Anyways, as usual, tell me what you think, be brutal and completely honest, tell me what sucks, what I should get rid of, what really sucks, ect., ect. Constructive criticism goes a long way. (Oh, and tell me if it's good, too. That would help.) I'm trying to use big words, too, so let me know if I don't make sense. That happens.

Now it is 12PM and I am going to SLEEP:P


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